


The Prince and His Helper

by WhiskersandQuiff



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Disney World & Disneyland, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-06-13 08:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15360237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskersandQuiff/pseuds/WhiskersandQuiff
Summary: Dan and Phil work together at Disney World. Dan is Prince Eric's handler, and, well, let's just say you never see Phil and Prince Eric in the same place at the same time.Dan really likes Phil. He's been known to get a little jealous at the most idiotic of times, but his heart's in the right place.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just part one of probably three, stay tuned for the rest soon!
> 
> Written for Day 5 of phanfichallenge's week of fics!
> 
> Big thank you to [imnotinclinedtomaturity](http://imnotinclinedtomaturity.tumblr.com/) for betaing!

Dan sat in front of the makeup mirror in the character dressing room, scrolling mindlessly through his phone, too tired to process what he was reading, and occasionally sipping from one of the two coffees on the counter to keep himself from falling out of his chair in a dead sleep. 

It was too damn early in the morning- the sun hadn’t even come out yet- but at least caffeine would get him going. Mostly.

Other handlers and characters were scattered throughout the room, putting on or helping to put on costumes. They were too busy to chat with Dan, not that he wanted company anyway. He was content to sit alone in the corner and wait for Phil to arrive. 

Phil was an actor who was “friends with” Prince Eric, as the Disney cast members were required to call it (they had to preserve the magic; no child would want to come to Disney if they knew there was a human living inside Mickey Mouse), and Dan was completely enamored with him.

This was their fourth month working together as a handler-actor pair, and they had long since become friends. During breaks, they would chatter away about their many common interests until Dan remembered Phil had to save his voice for talking to the kids, and then Dan would gladly carry the whole conversation.

Their interactions gradually got flirtier and flirtier, and Dan often went home excited for work with Phil the next day.

This morning, however, Dan had gotten to work much earlier than he had anticipated and now he was bored, tired, and a little anxious. Phil would be there soon, of course, but Dan’s brain liked to mess with him. 

_What if today is the day the ever-dependable Phil Lester is finally late? He really needs to be here, though. I have to talk to him. Maybe he somehow knows and is trying to make me extra nervous. That’s legit, right?_

But Dan’s worry was pointless, as, true to form, Phil arrived right on time- 6:30am on the dot.

 

“Hey, Dan,” Phil said as he walked into the room. 

Dan looked up from his phone and smiled. Phil looked as cheery as ever, which always surprised Dan. Who could be that _happy_ so early in the morning? Luckily, his attitude was contagious, so Dan couldn’t help but feel his nerves melt away and turn into a tired excitement for a new day right along with Phil.

“Hey, Prince. Ready for another day of bringing joy to small children?”

“Of course!” Phil chuckled. “I see you have my costume all ready for me already.” He quirked a questioning eyebrow at Dan. “You always make me get it myself. What’s up with today?”

Prince Eric’s blue slacks, yellow sash, royal jacket, and shiny black boots sat out on the chair next to Dan’s. Phil walked over and toed his own tennis shoes off. 

“What, can’t I just be a helpful handler for once?” Dan asked incredulously. When Phil raised his eyebrows skeptically, Dan continued, “Fine, fine, I got here early and was bored while waiting for you to show up.”

Dan stood up, sliding his phone into the front pocket of his blue shorts, then walked over to Phil. 

“Need any help?” he asked, watching as Phil took everything out of his pockets.

“Not just yet, but you know I always need someone to do the sash and zipper for me.”

Phil slipped his pants off and pulled up the costume pants, holding out the sash for Dan to help.

Dan took one end of the sash, then wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist to grab the other end of it and tie it. He was so tired that his hands fumbled the fabric a few times, but he hoped Phil didn’t think too much of it.

_Don’t think about how you’re basically hugging him right now, or how you can feel how toned his stomach is when you brush against it, or how close your face is to his, or how you can literally feel his breath on your face,_ Dan thought. He pointedly kept his eyes down, focusing intently on tying the sash and keeping his expression neutral.

Once Dan had stepped back, Phil took off his t-shirt and slipped the white decorative jacket over his shoulders and let Dan zip up the front of the jacket and button the flap to hide the zipper.

“Do I look princely yet?” Phil giggled, carefully sitting down to put on his boots.

“Of course, my liege,” Dan joked with a mock bow. He leaned his butt against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head to look at Phil.

“So, someone’s early today. You’re literally always late,” Phil wondered after a beat of silence. “What gives?”

Dan blushed and spluttered. “What? I am _not_ always late!” he exclaimed, stalling for time as he thought of a good excuse.

Phil shot him a look that clearly said, _Yeah, right, and Donald Trump is marrying the Queen of England_. 

“Okay, Mr. Perfectly Punctual, why were you _especially early_ today?” There was a glint in Phil’s eye and a cheekiness to his smile that showed Dan just how pleased Phil was that he had taken the bait.

Dan loved that cheeky smile.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to just get up and get here early,” Dan explained, trying to appear nonchalant. 

Phil glanced up from his now-finished task, concern clear on his face. Dan must not have done a very good job of playing it cool.

“Couldn’t sleep? Is everything okay?” Phil’s brow was furrowed and he had a slight frown tugging on his lips.

Dan refused to acknowledge the voice in the back of his head calling it adorable.

“Yeah, I think I just had too much caffeine or something. You know me.” He brushed it off with a wave of his hand and an awkward laugh. “I’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t a _lie_ , really, it just wasn’t the _full truth_. Dan _had_ had a lot of caffeine yesterday, and _something_ made him unable to sleep. It just... wasn’t the caffeine. Caffeine never affected Dan so much he couldn’t sleep at night.

No, what had kept Dan lying awake most of the night was his decision to ask Phil out on a date after work today. 

Months of pining and flirting had built up, and Dan finally decided to throw caution to the wind and ask Phil to dinner, or coffee, or a movie, or literally _anything_ , so long as they were together and it was a date.

Unfortunately, Dan’s brain had the rather awful tendency to overanalyze anything and everything he could possibly come into contact with, so his night had been full of _what if_ s and worst-case scenarios. They ranged from _What if Phil already has a boyfriend_ all the way to _Phil’s straight and homophobic and if I ask him out he’ll throw up on my face at the very idea of dating another man_.

He knew it was ridiculous, he knew nothing horrible would happen, and he was 86% sure Phil would accept the invitation of a date. He even knew for a fact that Phil was very much _not_ straight, since they’d talked about how hot _multiple_ male actors were. But of course Dan’s brain would _insist_ this was a terrible idea and he’d surely get rejected. 

So when 5am rolled around, Dan decided he’d had enough and instead distracted his thoughts by getting ready for work and leaving a whole fifteen minutes earlier than necessary.

Obviously, he couldn’t tell Phil any of this without seeming like a complete idiot, so Dan just hoped his vague half-truth would be enough to get Phil to let it go.

After one more suspicious side-eye, Phil turned to the mirror and began to apply the required Prince Eric makeup to his face.

“Just make sure you take care of yourself, yeah, Dan?” Their eyes met in the mirror and Phil flashed Dan a small smile. “Wouldn’t want you passing out in the middle of a meet-and-greet.”

Dan let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded. “Of course. Extra water for me, today.” 

He stood up straight and turned around to watch Phil in the mirror.

Mirror Phil rubbed sunscreen-infused foundation on his cheekbones, and Dan’s mind wandered.

_I wish I could be the one touching his cheeks like that. I bet his skin is soft and warm._ Dan sighed internally. 

_I wonder what it feels like when he’s blushing. And what it looks like up close. How does he even stay this pale? He works outside for half the day, but he still looks like a genderbent Snow White. His lips are too pale for Snow White, though. Not that that matters- he doesn’t have to be Snow White. He’s absolutely gorgeous just the way he is, anyway. And his eyes,_ god _, they’re so pretty. So blue, but also not, and they’re attentive, and-_

It took him at least ten seconds to realize that Phil was staring back at Dan. And Dan was staring at Phil like some kind of lovestruck princess.

“Are you really that tired, or do you see something you like?” Phil said with a smirk.

Dan felt his cheeks heating up again. He couldn’t come up with a good comeback quick enough, so he just settled for a mumbled, “Oh, shut up,” and flicked his gaze down to the counter again.

His coffee was still sitting there, and Dan eagerly reached out to take another sip from it, half for the distraction and half for the necessary caffeine. Leaning against the counter again, he slid the other Starbucks cup over to Phil. 

“This one’s for you, by the way,” Dan said around the lip of his own travel cup. “An extra sugary Caramel Macchiato just for you.”

(What he had wanted to say was “It’s just as sweet as you”, but that’d have consequences he wasn’t prepared to deal with just yet.)

Phil gave an adorable little “yay!” of delight and took a sip.

“Mmmm, it’s perfect. Thanks, Dan,” Phil said with a smile. He set the coffee back down and continued applying his light makeup.

“Of course.” 

They remained in comfortable silence for a few minutes as Phil finished getting ready. Dan desperately hoped the caffeine would finally wake him up enough to be decent at his job today, because he was likely to fall asleep standing up if it didn’t.

While he waited for Phil, Dan took a moment to make sure his uniform looked decent. Granted, it was hard to make blue culottes (the dumbest shorts in existence), a Mickey and Friends polo (who the hell thought blue and green stripes were a good idea?), a lanyard (heavy with stupid pins), and a black belt (dorky and dad-like) look _good_.

All together, it was kind of hideous. 

Dan tried his best to spice the gross outfit up a little. He rolled the sleeves slightly, exposing a bit more bicep, and french-tucked the shirt (for Tan France), hopefully making the overall outfit less… garish, to put it nicely. If nothing else, he hopefully looked less like a sad sack of potatoes now.

Finally, Phil sat back in his chair and let out a sigh, then took a sip from his coffee.

Dan glanced away from his own reflection to find Phil looking unfairly pretty. Phil was always pretty, obviously, but the makeup smoothed everything out so well that he looked- well, like a prince. 

Their eyes met, and Dan let out a small cough and trained his eyes back onto the ground. 

“All set, then?” He took a drink of his coffee and chanced another glance up at Phil.

“Your prince is ready to go,” Phil declared triumphantly, throwing both hands in the air.

Dan snorted. “Alright, my liege, let’s get moving. We have to go get our assignment for the day and I’d rather not have to stand in line behind all the other characters again.” 

He stood up straight and swallowed the final dredges of his coffee. When he turned to Phil, he was met with Phil’s hand outstretched, waiting for Dan to help his lazy arse up. Dan rolled his eyes, but took Phil’s hand and helped him stand.

_How are his hands always so soft? He’s clearly magic. Probably has little animals that moisturize his hands for him_.

“Thank you, my dear servant,” Phil said in a snooty tone, nose in the air.

“Oh, you are _most_ welcome, my liege,” Dan replied sarcastically, bowing low with his right arm pointing towards the door to the dressing room.

As they walked out the door, Dan noticed a physical change in Phil’s demeanor; Phil was now in Prince Eric Mode, getting himself warmed up to be in character for a day of entertaining children.

It was always fascinating to watch Phil slip into character. He started by changing his posture: broad shoulders raised, back straightened, chin up just enough to appear confident without seeming cocky. Then, his facial expression would change. Some of the excitement would dim from his eyes, turning into a more relaxed openness. His smile would soften, too, making him seem less like a giddy puppy and more like a responsible-yet-kind adult.

By the time they made it to the door of the main office, Dan wasn’t walking next to Phil anymore, he was walking next to Prince Eric from _The Little Mermaid_. 

And so the workday properly began. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 7 of phanfichallenge‘s week of fics! 
> 
> Thank you to [imnotinclinedtomaturity](http://imnotinclinedtomaturity.tumblr.com/) for helping me out again!

“Alright, you can come up now,” Dan told the family eagerly waiting behind the rope. 

The little girl in a teal dress with Ariel’s face on it squealed and rushed forward, crashing directly into Prince Eric’s legs.

The prince let out a cheery laugh and patted her head. When she stepped back a little, he knelt down next to her, looking her in the eye with a big, genuine smile.

“And what might your name be, Princess?” the prince asked in a light voice.

The little girl’s cheeks flushed bright pink as she giggled. “Izzy.”

 _I know exactly how you feel, Izzy,_ Dan thought bitterly from where he stood next to the line, fake smile plastered on his face.

“Izzy!” Prince Eric exclaimed, shifting his weight a little and taking one of the girl’s hands. “That’s a very pretty name, perfect for such a beautiful princess like you!” He raised the hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss there, making Izzy gasp in delight.

_God, I wish that were me._

Dan wasn’t _trying_ to think bitter thoughts, but his brain was really having a grand ol’ time disobeying him. He had always been gone for Phil, but apparently his brain had turned the dial up to eleven today and decided to make him actively crave Phil’s love and affection. The lack of sleep didn’t help matters, either.

All in all, Dan was having a very difficult time maintaining the trademark Disney Cheer.

The girl scurried over to Ariel (“friends with” Cornelia, the delightful girlfriend of Phil’s brother) and they chatted for a minute, and then it was time for the picture.

One of Izzy’s mums had her phone out, ready to take the picture, while the other mum stood behind Izzy.

“Oh, I have the _cutest_ idea!” Camera-Mum exclaimed. “Prince Eric, if you don’t mind, could you give Izzy a kiss on the cheek?”

Prince Eric’s smile grew impossibly larger ( _How does he_ do _that? Don’t his cheeks hurt?_ ) and he looked over to Ariel.

“I’d be happy to, m’lady, so long as my wife doesn’t mind?”

Ariel nodded. “Of course! And I’ll kiss the cheek of this fine madam!” She gestured to the mother who was posing in the picture with Izzy.

The woman in question blushed a bright red and grinned, taking a step closer to Ariel for the picture.

Prince Eric knelt down next to Izzy again and, after a countdown from Camera-Mum, kissed her gently on the cheek.

 _Fuck, I want that,_ Dan thought. He shifted uncomfortably next to the line of people, ignoring the “awwww”s from the crowd.

When Prince Eric pulled away from Izzy’s face, Izzy turned her head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

 _Fuck off, Izzy! He’s mine!_ Of course, Dan knew that Phil wasn’t _technically_ his, yet, and that Izzy had kissed Prince Eric, not Phil, but _dammit_ Dan was _working on it_ and Prince Eric’s face was Phil’s face and Dan was jealous of a six-year-old.

A freaking _six-year-old_. God, he had it bad.

Prince Eric was laughing and hugging Izzy again, and then Ariel’s handler was ushering the family back out of the meet-and-greet, which meant Dan had to call forward the next people in line.

He let out a quick breath, hoping his face wasn’t too red, and let the next group through.

_It’s almost lunch time, and then you can ask him. Ten more minutes of this photo op and then you’re both off for an hour and you can talk to Phil, not stupid Prince Eric. Chill out, Dan._

The next ten minutes, of course, crawled by at an agonizingly slow pace, although nobody asked for a kiss again (thank god). Dan was just a dramatic and impatient bitch, itching to ask Phil out.

 _Finally_ , Dan thought as he got the “5 minutes until lunch break” message over his walkie-talkie. He walked to the back of the line of guests and closed the gate so no new groups could get in line, then walked to the front again and resumed his job until the last guest had exited the area.

“Prince Eric, Princess Ariel, if you’ll please follow me,” Dan said. He still had to keep up the illusion that this was the real character, since people were watching just outside the gate.

“Of course. Lead the way, good sir,” Prince Eric agreed. He gently took Ariel’s hand in his and followed Dan to a door labeled “Cast Members Only!”

Dan suppressed the urge to step between them and put his own hand in Ariel’s place.

It wasn’t until they all returned to the character dressing room that Prince Eric’s posture slumped into Phil’s relaxed posture and Cornelia and Phil let go of each other. 

“Welcome back, Phil,” said Dan warmly. Of course, Phil had been there the whole time, but Dan always liked to welcome the normal Phil back to the present when he brought himself out of character.

Phil sent him a weak smile. “Thanks. I’m so hungry I feel like I could eat both Donald and Daisy Duck,” he said with a laugh. 

Dan snorted as they arrived at the lockers where they’d stored their belongings at the beginning of the day. 

“God, me too. I have some leftover stir fry calling my name,” Dan bragged, pulling his lunch out of the locker. 

“Lucky!” whined Phil. “I just have my usual sandwich and crisps.”

He emphasized this by holding up a rather sad sandwich and pouting. 

“Oooooh, poor Philly. Oh dear,” Dan teased in a whiny tone. He leaned into Phil’s personal space with a smirk. “Poor, poor Philly has to eat his sad, sad sandwich and crisps while Dan-the-man over here eats his delicious, spectacular, amazing _stir fry_.” He opened the container and inhaled the smell deeply, letting out an exaggerated moan.

Dan cackled when Phil’s playful pout deepened. 

_It’s legitimately unfair how cute he is right now_ , Dan thought. _I’m so gone for him, this is ridiculous. I need to ask him out. Right. Freaking. Now._

As Dan opened his mouth to blurt out the least romantic offer of a date possible, Phil dramatically slammed his locker with a loud, over-the-top huff and spun away, walking off to their usual lunch break table.

Dan blinked, mouth still hanging open. He rolled his eyes at himself, forced his mouth shut, closed his stir fry container, and followed after Phil.

_Idiot, he’s messing with you because of the food thing. Good thing, too, otherwise you would have totally embarrassed yourself there. You’ve gotta keep your plan in mind or you’ll sound like a complete buffoon and he’ll run away screaming._

“How was your end of the meet-and-greet this morning? You looked a little off,” Phil commented when Dan finally caught up and sat down.

Thinking back to what had happened less than an hour ago, Dan blushed again. 

_Of course I looked off, I was hopelessly pining after you and got jealous of a freaking six-year-old_.

Dan coughed. “Yeah, I, uh -” Dan cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. “I think I’m just a bit tired, is all. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Phil frowned. “You mentioned that this morning. Are you okay? Do you need more caffeine?”

 _I love how much he wants to take care of me, but I hate that I’m making him worry. I need to be more convincingly functional_. 

“I’m fine, really,” Dan promised, offering Phil what was hopefully a reassuring smile. “Eating will probably help.” Dan opened his container of stir fry again.

Luckily, Phil dropped it after shooting him one more concerned glance, and took a bite out of his sandwich. 

“There were some cute kids today, weren’t there?” Phil said. He smiled widely. “They looked so happy to be meeting the _real_ Princess Ariel and Prince Eric.”

 _Some were a little_ too _happy and got a little too comfortable_ , Dan thought gruffly. 

But he couldn’t say that, so instead he shrugged and said, “That’s the job, isn’t it? Make kids happy, keep the magic of Disney alive, and all that.”

Phil sighed happily. "Yeah, it's a pretty great job. I just love their faces when they meet us, you know? They're always so amazed. That little girl with the two mums? Izzy? She was _so_ cute when she kissed my cheek, wasn’t she?” Phil gushed happily.

Dan felt a fresh wave of jealousy, but forced himself to put it aside and actually interact with Phil. A little girl kissing Phil on the cheek did not mean that Dan’s chances with Phil were gone. She was _six_. 

Besides, Dan really _did_ enjoy his job. 

“She _was_ pretty cute,” he said with a smile.

Phil smiled back, and then launched into a conversation about the latest crazy person he’d met. 

Usually, Dan _lived_ for these stories from Phil because they were so engaging and revealed so much of who Phil was through his gesticulations and storytelling, but today Dan was struggling to pay attention. He tried to laugh and nod at the right times, but his mind was really somewhere else. 

_I really want to ask him out today, but I haven’t planned well enough what to say. It has to be in person that I ask him or I’ll stress too much about never getting a response, that’s for sure. No chickening out, Dan, you have to do this today. I don’t need much of a plan, I guess, but I need to know when to ask and have an idea for what we could do. I can’t very well ask him out during one of our other breaks because he’s still Prince Eric then and I have to let him save his voice anyway, and I certainly can’t ask him while he’s meeting the kids, for obvious reasons. So that really only leaves the time we’re together before we leave for the day. Yeah, that should work, because that gives me all day to come up with a date we could go on-_

“ _DAN?!_ ” A loud voice broke through his thoughts.

Dan jolted and snapped his head up from his food to see Phil staring at him with a worried expression. 

“Yeah?” Dan said, pretending he hadn’t just zoned out for a full ten minutes or more.

“Are you okay? You seem a bit quiet. If you want to talk about something else, we can. I don’t mind. I mean, I’ve been talking a lot today and you’re probably getting bored,” Phil rambled. 

Dan frantically shook his head. “What? No, I’m not bored!” Dan exclaimed. 

Phil jumped at Dan’s outburst.

“Sorry, that was a bit aggressive,” Dan said, wincing slightly. “I’m just tired and my brain has been somewhere else all day. It’s not you, and I’m definitely not bored by you,” Dan reassured. In a calmer voice, he mumbled, “I could never be bored by you.”

Phil’s expression relaxed a little, but he still looked concerned. 

“You’ve been saying you’re tired all day. How much sleep did you get last night?”

Dan blushed. “I got _some_ , just not enough, apparently.”

 _Technically, it’s not a lie. I got_ some _sleep, I was just awake significantly more than I was asleep._

Phil shot him an unimpressed look. 

“That wasn’t an answer, but I’ll let it go. Promise you’ll go to bed early tonight?”

Dan nodded. “Of course.”

Phil seemed to scan his face for a moment, then he nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. He started talking about _American Horror Story_ ’s upcoming season, and Dan forced himself to engage in the conversation to keep Phil from asking if he was okay again.

Soon enough, their lunch break was over and they had to return to work. Phil became Prince Eric once again, and Dan braced himself for being jealous of even more children. 

Throughout the rest of his shift, Dan thought about how to ask Phil out and what they could do on a date.

_We’re both off work on Monday, so I’ll plan the date for then. But where should we go? I know he likes coffee, so maybe we could go get some together. But, then again, that’s not very original or exciting…_

_I remember he talked about how he still hasn’t seen any of the fireworks shows here. I know we’re here almost every day, but it’d be different, wouldn’t it? We’re always working but that would give us a chance to experience the magic for ourselves for the whole day together. Phil’s such a child at heart, I’m sure he’d love it._

_If he says he’d rather do something else, I guess we can just go for coffee. That’s a decent second option, I guess…_

By the time Dan finally decided where he wanted to take Phil, it was the end of their shift.

Dan guided Prince Eric and Princess Ariel back to the dressing rooms, watching as they melted out of character and became Phil and Cornelia again.

“Another magical day at Disney World complete!” Phil exclaimed.

Cornelia and Dan grinned and nodded.

“As fun as it always is to be Ariel, I am _beyond_ ready to take off this costume. I’ll see you boys tomorrow, alright?”

“Of course, my princess,” Phil teased with a mock bow.

Cornelia rolled her eyes, but curtsied with a chuckle. 

“Have a good night you two!” she said as she straightened.

“Yeah, you too, Corn,” Dan replied.

Cornelia and her handler turned and walked to their lockers to get ready to leave.

Dan turned to Phil with a sigh.

“I’m so tired, I feel like I could become Sleeping Beauty right now and sleep a hundred years,” Dan complained.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t get to a hundred years. True love’s kiss would definitely find you first,” Phil said, throwing Dan a wink.

Dan blinked in surprise. 

_Is he implying that he’d kiss me? And that it’d wake me up because it’s true love!? Oh my god._

Dan felt his cheeks flush a bright red, so he tried to hide his face. He coughed awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Luckily for him, Phil had already moved on. He had sat down in front of a mirror and was now attempting to get out of his costume, but his boots were stuck. Alternately pushing and pulling to try to get the infernal things off his legs, Phil huffed out a breath.

“I swear this happens to me every day, and every day I expect it to be better. It’s never better,” Phil grumbled. He kept struggling for a minute as Dan watched, giggling quietly.

Phil glared up at Dan. 

“Are you just gonna stand there laughing at me, or are you gonna help me?”

Dan let out a real laugh, then shook his head.

“I’m having a great time right here, thanks.”

Phil pouted. “Pwease? I’m stuck.” He made a puppy dog face, blue eyes open wide and eyelashes fluttering. “I’ll love you forever!”

Dan’s heart thudded in his chest. 

_He’ll love you forever. You have to._

Pretending like this was the biggest inconvenience Dan had ever faced, he sighed dramatically before sitting on the floor and grabbing one of Phil’s legs. 

He managed to yank off the boots, one after the other, as Phil yelled words of encouragement from above.

“Almost there, Dan, almost there! Yes! Yes! We’re close! Keep going!”

Dan’s mind couldn’t help but take his words out of context, making his cheeks flush a bright red once again.

“Stop saying that, you spoon, it sounds so wrong!” Dan whined.

Phil laughed. “But it’s so much fun to see you all flustered!”

_He’s too cute. And sexy. And lovely. And brilliant. Send help._

“Phiwwwwwwww!”

Eventually, Phil had finally finished changing back into his civilian clothes and removing his makeup, so they began the long journey back through the cast member building and to the car park on the other side of the Magic Kingdom.

On the way, they chatted more about random life updates and TV shows and Disney World conspiracies. None of it really mattered, but it was just so soft and domestic that Dan’s heart ached. 

Along the way, Dan’s brain randomly interjected little thoughts, such as, _He looks so pretty in this lighting. And all lighting_ , and, _I really, really like him. He’s_ so _cute_ , and, _I should really just ask him out already_. 

But Dan didn’t ask Phil out yet. Every time he thought about doing so, his heart raced, his palms sweat, and his brain short-circuited. Besides, Phil was usually speaking when Dan had those thoughts, and he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt.

Finally, they reached their cars. Dan had parked closer, since he had arrived so early and the parking spaces were available, so they came to a halt in front of his car. They stood a few feet apart.

Neither of them said anything for a minute. They didn’t know what to say, but they didn’t want the conversation to end. 

_Come on, Dan. Now’s your chance. He’s not going to say no._

Dan fiddled with his keys, then look down at the ground. 

“Phil, can I-” He swallowed thickly, then tried again. “Can I ask you something?”

He was met with a short silence, so he tentatively glanced up to see Phil’s brows furrowed in apprehension. Dan held his breath.

“Of course, you can. What’s wrong?” Phil’s tone matched his expression; worry dripped from his very being.

“Oh, no, nothing’s wrong,” Dan reassured quickly. 

Phil didn’t look convinced.

“Really, there’s nothing wrong.” Dan looked back down at the ground, playing with his keys to distract himself. “I just- I’m really nervous about what I want to ask you.”

A noise of surprise and slight hurt came from Phil, and he took a small step forward. “Nervous? I’d never do anything to hurt you, Dan. I’m sure whatever it is will be okay.”

Dan’s lips twitched up in a slight smile.

_He’s so sweet. God, I wanna date him._

Dan took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. On the next breath, he asked, “Would you want to go on a date with me sometime?” He carefully peeked up at Phil, then looked back at the ground and continued to speak in an anxious ramble when Phil failed to respond after a few seconds. “I’ve been thinking about it all day, and I know we’re both off work on Monday, and I know you’ve been wanting to see the Disney World fireworks but haven’t yet, so I thought maybe we could take a day to come here together? It’s okay if you want to do something else, I’d totally understand, I mean, we do come here nearly every day for work. It’s also okay if you don’t want to go anywhere at all, though! We can just pretend this never happened, right?” 

“I’d love to go on a date with you, Dan,” Phil said in a fond voice.

Dan’s head snapped up to see Phil smiling softly, a faint pink tinge coloring his cheeks.

Mimicking the smile tentatively, Dan stuttered out a cautious, “Really?”

Phil’s smile grew into a grin, and he nodded. “Of course! And Disney sounds great. I’m actually kind of really touched that you remembered I want to see the fireworks? It’s really sweet of you.”

Dan’s face broke out into a grin. 

_Told you he wouldn’t say no_ , his brain told him.

He told his brain to shut up.

“Great, then. Um,” Dan giggled. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow? We can text about when we’re meeting up and everything. Or talk about it in person tomorrow, whichever, I don’t really care which, you know?”

Phil let out a loud laugh. “You’re really cute.”

Dan’s heart stopped in his chest. 

_Oh. My. God. He thinks I’m cute._

His mouth opened and closed a few times, the only sound coming out a soft “oh”.

Phil laughed again, but stopped mid-chuckle. “Wait.”

_Oh no, he’s changed his mind. Shit. I knew it was too good to be true._

“Was this what was keeping you up last night?”

Dan reddened again. “I, um.” He coughed. “Maybe.”

Phil took another step closer, so now there were only a few inches of space between them. He was still smiling fondly as he rested his hands on Dan’s triceps, just above his elbows.

“You really are too cute, Howell,” he whispered. He leaned forward.

Dan’s mind was a mess. None of his thoughts were formed enough for him to make sense of anything except emotion, and his emotions were screaming of affection and attraction and maybe a little embarrassment.

Phil’s lips brushed lightly against Dan’s cheek, and Dan fought hard not to swoon. He felt Phil’s arms wrap around him in a hug, which Dan readily accepted and reciprocated. Dan buried his nose in Phil’s shoulder, inhaling his scent deeply and sighing.

“I’ll text you when I’m home, okay?” Phil whispered into Dan’s ear.

Dan nodded, reluctantly letting go as Phil pulled away. 

“See you tomorrow, Dan.”

“Good night, Phil.” 

Dan watched in a daze as Phil walked backwards a few steps, drinking in one last look at Dan, before Phil turned and walked to his car.

Letting out a content sigh, Dan got into his car and began to drive home, excited at the thought of his date with his favorite Disney prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 is coming soon!
> 
> I also post to my Tumblr! See the rest of my fics [here](https://rosaflagephil.tumblr.com/fics-masterlist)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally here! Thank you so much for your patience :) Massive thank-you to [imnotinclinedtomaturity](http://imnotinclinedtomaturity.tumblr.com/), without whom this fic probably wouldn’t exist and it certainly wouldn’t be this good.

Dan was _really_ excited.

He was on his way to _Phil’s actual house_ to pick Phil up for an _actual date_.

Dan was about to go on a _date_ with a _Disney prince_ and _real-life angel_ named Phil. How his heart hadn’t yet fallen out of his ass from the sheer power of emotion, Dan wasn’t sure. Phil was literally Dan’s ideal man. And Phil had agreed to go on a date with him. As excited as Dan was, he was equally filled with anxiety at everything that could go wrong.

 _Don’t fuck it up, Dan_.

On the drive over to Phil’s house, Dan worried that he had somehow gotten the wrong address, or that his phone’s GPS had sent him the wrong way, or that he’d be late to pick Phil up, or that Phil would have already left his house and moved back to England.

It was ridiculous, honestly, but Dan couldn’t help it. He _really_ wanted this date to work out.

Every red light added to his stress. He kept glancing at the little clock in his car, watching the minutes pass. He was supposed to pick Phil up at 7am sharp, but the time ticked closer and closer, and Dan felt like he wasn’t getting anywhere closer to Phil’s house anytime soon. His nerves grew with every second that passed, and he found himself chewing on his lip in anticipation. He had done his best to leave his house with time to spare, but now that he was actually en route, he wasn’t sure he’d made it out the door in time. 

_He’ll be so disappointed if I’m late. Dan the Fuck-Up, as usual, can’t even be bothered to make it to a date on time. Classic-_

“Arrived,” said the mechanical voice on Dan’s phone, interrupting Dan’s spiral of thoughts. 

Dan pulled over in front of a small house. It looked like it might have been white, but Dan couldn’t be sure in the faint early morning light.

He anxiously checked the clock again. It was 7:06.

_Bloody typical._

Phil had told Dan to text when he arrived, saying it would be easier than knocking on the door and waking up Phil’s housemates and suffering their persistent teasing. Dan didn’t waste any time grabbing his phone from the passenger’s seat and texting Phil. He didn’t want Phil to have to wait any longer than he already had.

 **Dan:** im here

Phil’s response came within seconds, startling Dan.

_He responded so fast, he must have been waiting. Dammit, Dan, why are you always late?! He’s probably mad about it._

He took a deep breath and opened the message.

 **Phil:** gr8 gimme 2 secs i’ll b right there

Dan let out the breath he had been holding. Phil wasn’t mad. At least, Dan assumed so, since Phil said he was coming. 

Nervously, Dan’s hands began dancing and tapping randomly on the steering wheel of his car. 

_He’s coming. Oh my god, the date is about to start. Oh my god._

He looked outside the window, anxiously watching the door of the house- but then he looked away to look at the road because watching the door meant actively waiting for Phil to exit his house, which was stressful in itself because it made him think about how much time was passing and how much time Phil had to change his mind and decide not to come on the date after all.

 _This date has to be_ perfect _. If it’s not perfect, he won’t want to go on another date and you’ll end up alone and sad._

Dan noticed his leg was bouncing erratically from the nerves and forced himself to take a breath.

 _It’ll be okay. He wanted to go with you this time, so he clearly must like_ something _about you. Just chill out._

Suddenly, the door to the house opened and Phil stepped out, turning and locking it behind him.

The nerves struck Dan again as Phil approached, manifesting in even more intense finger tapping. Phil’s hair was quiffed up off his forehead, and Dan ached to run his fingers through it. He wore a red plaid shirt, well-fitted to his broad shoulders and making his biceps pop. His black skinny jeans had rips in the knees, giving him a bit of an edgy aesthetic that Dan knew didn’t reflect Phil’s true nerdy, kind personality. Dan was intimidated as hell by Phil’s appearance. How could he look so put-together this early in the morning?? It literally was not fair, and Dan felt inadequate in his own ripped black skinny jeans and cherry blossom button-up. His leg started to vibrate again, and he rolled his eyes at himself.

 _Get it together, Dan_.

They made eye contact through the windscreen, and Phil flashed Dan one of his absolutely _adorable_ smiles. Dan’s heartbeat picked up even more at the sight, and he managed a small smile in return.

_He’s so perfect._

Phil arrived at the passenger door and pulled the handle. The door didn’t open. Phil shot Dan a confused look through the window. His brows were furrowed, and there was a cute little wrinkle in the middle of his forehead. Phil pulled the handle again, then pouted up at Dan. His bottom lip was sticking out, and his eyebrows were lifting.

 _What? Why isn’t it ope-_ _Oh._

Dan sheepishly flipped the “unlock” switch on the control panel next to his arm, then motioned for Phil to try again. This time, it worked, and Phil slid into the seat with a cheeky smile. 

“And here I thought you were excited for this date,” Phil teased lightheartedly.

_Shit! Now he thinks I don’t want this!_

“No!” Dan exclaimed loudly, eyes wide and hands reaching out as if to grab Phil’s arm and keep him in the car.

Phil blinked, tilting his head to the side and furrowing his brow. Clearly, Dan had confused him again. 

Dan winced at his own unending awkwardness, then backpedaled to try to salvage the conversation that had _barely even begun, god, get it together, Dan_. 

“I am _really_ excited for this date, Phil, you have no idea,” he began, refusing to look at Phil. “I’m just also really nervous-”

Phil’s giggle interrupted the beginnings of a rant that surely would make Dan feel much worse. “I’m kidding! I know you’re excited,” Phil laughed. 

The fondness in Phil’s voice caused Dan to cautiously look at Phil out of the corner of his eye. 

Sure enough, the fondest of smiles graced Phil’s lips. Dan could feel himself blushing, and he hoped Phil wouldn’t notice (but he was sure the color on his cheeks was glaringly obvious). 

Slowly, Phil reached a tentative hand out to one of Dan’s, gently prying his white-knuckled grasp off the steering wheel to intertwine their fingers. Dan stared at their linked hands in wonder. Phil’s hand was a little smaller and a lot paler, but it looked perfect in Dan’s. Dan felt a clammy warmth coming from Phil’s palm, and he relaxed a little when he realized that must mean that Phil wasn’t feeling as confident as he seemed- at least Dan wasn’t alone in his nerves. 

“And it’s okay that you’re nervous. I’m nervous, too.” Phil leaned in closer to Dan to whisper conspiratorially, “Plus, you’re really cute when you blush.”

Dan figured that Phil would probably think Dan was “really cute” most of the date, then, because he couldn’t seem to get his cheeks to calm down. If anything, he was pretty sure his cheeks were getting even more red.

Flustered, Dan didn’t know what to say in response, so he just looked back at the road, shaking his head in slight disbelief.

 _I don’t know how he could think I’m cute when he’s obviously the cutest person in the universe_.

Dan swallowed nervously. “We should- uh- get going. The whole point of getting up before daylight was to get there early, right?” Dan said, deciding to ignore Phil’s comment entirely. 

Phil shrugged and leaned back in his seat, releasing Dan’s hand so he could drive.

He carefully checked that the road was clear before pulling into the lane.

Although his eyes were trained on the street, Dan could practically _feel_ Phil’s self-satisfied grin. He couldn’t help the blush that just wouldn’t go away, not when he knew Phil was smiling because of him. 

_That cute bitch. God, I’m a mess._

Phil must have sensed Dan’s current inability to converse like a proper human being, and decided to take pity on him because he took charge of the conversation. 

“I’ve always loved Disney.” Phil said thoughtfully. “I was definitely that kid who sat inside all day rewatching _The Lion King_ until my parents couldn’t stand it anymore.” He chuckled at himself, then continued. “I think they eventually broke the tape on purpose.”

Dan pictured it - a tiny Phil sat in front of a shitty ‘90s television, dressed in absolutely horrendous ‘90s fashion, and singing along at the top of his lungs. He was probably dreadfully off-key even then. 

He laughed at the mental image, glancing over at Phil as if trying to picture this adult man in the same situation. “That sounds cute as fuck, Phil,” he said through the laugh.

“Does it really?” Phil asked, sounding surprised. ”Seems a bit annoying, if you ask me. My parents certainly thought so,” Phil mused.

Dan shook his head, and snuck another glance at Phil. 

“Definitely cute as fuck,” Dan adamantly assured Phil. He was almost offended that anyone could be annoyed with Phil. “And you know what, _The Lion King_ is amazing, so we are gonna sing it right now, on the way to Disney, because we are adults and no one can stop us,” he declared.

_Shit, what if he doesn’t want to, though?_

Dan quickly side-eyed Phil, saying, “You know, if you want, that is. We don’t have to.”

But Dan’s concern was unnecessary, as Phil was already grinning and pulling out his phone to find the soundtrack.

“You’ve done it now, Howell. The offer has been made and there’s no going back,” Phil said just as “The Circle of Life” began to play from his phone.

“Naaaaaaans lasagna baby itsy baby!” Phil sang along loudly. He was extremely pitchy, but he didn’t seem to care.

“What the _fuck_ , Phil!” Dan yelled through a hyena laugh. “Those _so_ aren’t the lyrics, oh my _god_!” 

Phil ignored him and continued to sing, moving to the background chorus “lyrics”: “It’s a llama, penguin and a llama. It’s a llama, penguin and a llama.” 

Dan laughed harder, doing his best to keep his attention primarily focused on the road. 

_He’s having so much fun with this. I bet it’d make him happy if I sing like that, too._

Dan would do pretty much anything to make Phil smile, so he joined in, singing, “It’s a llama, penguin and a llama” just as loudly and carelessly as Phil.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dan could see Phil turn his head to look at him. Dan felt himself absolutely _melting_ under the fond giddiness in Phil’s gaze.

_Today’s gonna be such a good day._

They spent a majority of the drive singing along to various Disney songs, sticking to _The Lion King_ at first but expanding to some of their other Disney favorites like _Mulan_ (Dan loved singing his dramatic rendition of “Reflection”) and _The Little Mermaid_ (they couldn’t _not_. Phil was Prince Eric, after all). 

“So, I told you what my favorite Disney movie growing up was, now it’s your turn,” Phil began as the last note of “Under the Sea” faded away. “What did your poor parents have to put up with?”

Dan blushed, his eyes darting over to glance at Phil. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

Phil scoffed. “Impossible. I’m sure it’s perfectly endearing.” Dan shook his head but Phil continued, sounding almost petulant. “Either way, you have to tell me because I already told you mine.”

Dan rolled his eyes, but gave in. Phil could probably make him give into anything. “Okay, fine. My favorite Disney cartoon was Winnie the Pooh. It’s lit _-tra-_ ly why I have such a posh accent.”

“Awwwwww, I love Winnie the Pooh!” Phil cooed. “He wasn’t my favorite, but he was so wonderful.” 

Dan glanced over, surprised by Phil’s enthusiastic reaction. Phil was already staring back at him with a small, fond smile.

Just as Dan was about to speak up, maybe change the subject because he still felt a bit embarrassed, Phil spoke again. “You know, I’m not all that surprised your favorite was Winnie the Pooh. You kind of remind me of him, in a way,” he said thoughtfully. 

Dan smiled, but couldn’t keep the confusion out of his expression, his head tilting to the side slightly and his eyebrows furrowing.

“I really remind you of Winnie the Pooh?” Dan asked, baffled.

In his peripheral vision, Dan caught a glimpse of Phil. Phil was staring out the window like he was deep in thought, scrunching up his eyebrows slightly.

“Yeah,” Phil answered. “You’ve got this kind of calm chillness about you, but I still know you’ll work hard to get what you want. Like, you work for what you care about but still take it easy every now and then, if that makes sense. And you seem to care a lot about your friends, which is very Pooh.” 

There was a thoughtfulness and sincerity to his voice that caught Dan off guard. _How does he know that about me already? Does he really pay that much attention?_ Warmth filled Dan as he considered that maybe Phil liked him as much as he liked Phil.

But then Phil grinned, continuing cheekily, “But I’m pretty sure what you want usually isn’t a pot of honey.”

Dan let out a snort. “ _Most_ of that was actually very perceptive of you,” he replied fondly, glancing over at Phil with a soft smile. 

Phil shrugged. “No, not really. It’s not that hard to recognize that you’ve never taken a pot of honey to work,” he tried to say casually, but he couldn’t quite keep the amusement from his voice.

Dan groaned and rolled his eyes, but he laughed affectionately. “You’re such a dork!”

“Your mum’s a dork!” Phil retorted in a faux-defensive tone.

“Oi, you leave my mum out of this!” Dan laughed, reaching over to poke Phil’s leg.

The conversation dissolved into laughter and more meaningless, but fun, banter. Dan lost track of the time, his brain in autopilot as he drove them the rest of the way to Disney, and he found himself almost sad when they arrived. The drive had gone so well, what if things got awkward when they were wandering around?

Dan’s worry didn’t last long, however, as Phil continued to talk just as he had in the car. As they walked into the park, they made a quick list of rides they _had_ to go on, and then they were off.

Creepy dolls sang “It’s a Small World” to them (Phil regretted that suggestion; he told Dan he definitely gave himself nightmare material for weeks), they journeyed through the Caribbean with cunning pirates to find Spanish gold, and they took a tour through Neverland. Each ride had a long enough line that they could talk for a short while, but they didn’t feel like they were wasting the day just waiting around.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was definitely Phil’s favorite. He made Dan go on it three times in a row. And because Phil just looked too adorable when he was excited (his eyes lit up as he smiled and bounced on the balls of his feet, insisting they had to _go go go again right now, it’s so fun!_ ), Dan couldn’t say no. Plus, it was kind of a small cart and they were rather tall. Dan wasn’t about to give up the chance to be squished into Phil’s side.

They wandered into Liberty Square for lunch. Dan had timed it perfectly, because it was just before a parade was supposed to begin. He thought Phil might enjoy seeing the characters and hearing the music as a guest rather than an employee for once, since he was always so excited about the magic of Disney. Dan _loved_ it when the magic would excite Phil; Phil’s inner child would shine through, lighting up his face and making him giggle in wonder.

“We _have_ to go to Sleepy Hollow,” Dan insisted as he pointed to the restaurant with one hand, excitedly tapping Phil’s arm with his other. “They have the best damn chicken and waffles you will ever have in your life, and there’s a little picnic area so we can watch the parade go by.”

“I’m more of a pancakes man, to be honest,” Phil said dubiously. “But I’ll trust you.” He flashed Dan a wide smile.

“These are so much more than a breakfast food, Phil, they are _art_. They make sandwiches out of the waffle and put this spicy chicken inside and-” Dan moaned theatrically- “I can’t explain it, it’s just _so good_.”

“Okay, okay, lead the way!” Phil conceded, and gestured for Dan to go ahead of him. Dan reached behind him and pulled Phil after him by the forearm as he hurriedly made his way into the restaurant.

Phil let Dan pick his waffle for him, and then took out his wallet to pay.

“Hey, no, put that away!” Dan insisted, pushing Phil’s arm down. “I asked you out, so I’m paying.”

“But-” Phil started, his hand still reaching into his wallet.

“Nope.” Dan lightly hip-checked Phil out of the way and handed his card over to the cashier. “I’ve got this, okay?” He turned to look at Phil again to see him rolling his eyes, which worried him until he noticed Phil’s small smile.

“You’re ridiculous, but okay.” Phil gave Dan’s shoulder a mini shove to retaliate for the hip-check.

A few minutes later, they retrieved the waffles and sat down at a table near the edge of the patio so they could see the parade when it came.

“Are you ready for your life to change dramatically?” Dan asked seriously as they each picked up their waffle sandwiches.

“Well, now I’m a little scared. That’s a lot of pressure riding on this one sandwich,” Phil teased. He eyed the sandwich skeptically, eyes narrowed in distrust.

“It’s deserved, believe me,” Dan said. “Come on, then. I’m waiting for your reaction.” Dan leaned in closer and stared at Phil eagerly, holding his breath.

Phil eyed his sandwich with a curious expression - part wary and part excited - before he leaned in, opened his mouth wide, and took a big bite. 

He seemed to consider for a moment, and then his eyes widened comically. He looked at Dan with pure wonder on his face. His lips were tilting up into a smile, even though his mouth was full of food.

“I know,” Dan said, nodding seriously.

“How - it’s - oh my god,” Phil groaned around his bite of food.

“I _know_ ,” Dan laughed. He leaned back in his seat, relieved at Phil’s reaction. “You like it, then?”

Phil nodded vigorously, already going in for another bite.

Dan laughed again, then took a bite of his own sandwich and moaned at the flavor.

“It’s really spicy but it’s so good,” Phil managed when he finally swallowed. He chugged a few gulps of water, then dove back into the sandwich.

Dan felt a strange sense of pride well up in him. Phil had trusted Dan’s suggestion and it paid off _brilliantly_. 

Just then, the front of the parade passed by their seating area. The magic of seeing the characters wasn’t as strong for Dan or Phil now that they’ve done parades and meet and greets before, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying it. Mickey Mouse waved at them, and Phil squealed in delight.

“Hi, Mickey!” he called excitedly, bouncing in his seat a bit and waving his arm wildly.

 _He’s so precious, oh my god_.

“Mickey Mouse waved at me, Dan! I feel special,” Phil exclaimed, looking at Dan with the gleeful excitement of a child.

“You are,” Dan said softly. His body was frozen, his hands half-raised to his mouth with the last few bites of his waffle sandwich, but his eyes wandered Phil’s face, taking in the joy and giddiness. Phil’s happiness was infectious, and Dan found himself smiling affectionately at this excitable man who had somehow agreed to go on a date with _Dan_ , of all people.

Phil’s face flushed, and he broke eye contact for a moment to look down at his food tray, then cautiously looked back up at Dan through his lashes. Dan felt a fresh surge of affection as he saw how bashful Phil got at the compliment. 

They stared at each other silently for a moment, faces turning redder by the second, until Dan cleared his throat.

“So, uh, you liked the waffle, then?” He pointed at the sticky mess left on the tray where Phil’s sandwich used to be.

Phil nodded. “Life-changing, as advertised. Thanks for the suggestion.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Dan replied. He cleared his throat again. “So, after the parade crowd clears out a bit, do you wanna go to the Haunted Mansion?”

“Definitely,” Phil agreed. 

It didn’t take long for the crowd to disperse once the parade ended, and then Dan and Phil were off to find the Haunted Mansion.

On the way, they encountered a traffic jam where some families were apparently meeting a character. A huge crowd of people stood in the way, blocking the whole path. Dan felt a twinge of sympathy for the handler, knowing how hard it could be to keep a crowd under control, especially in walkways. As a handler, he hated when people tried to force their way through, but he was a man on a mission. He’d just try not to be too aggressive.

“I’m gonna go for it,” Dan decided, already sending mental apologies to the handler. “Stay close?”

Phil nodded, and Dan pushed himself into the small gaps between people with Phil on his heels.

Except Phil wasn’t quite as on-his-heels as he expected. Dan had moved a little too fast for Phil to keep up in such a cramped space. A hand grasped onto Dan’s wrist, and he jumped, glancing back quickly to see Phil’s arm outstretched. 

_Phil’s basically holding my hand. It’s fine, nothing to worry about. Totally cool over here. It’s all good._

They finally broke free of the crowd and could stand next to each other again. Dan expected Phil to drop his wrist now that they had room to maneuver, but he didn’t. Instead, Phil’s hand slid down to lace their fingers together.

Dan’s heart beat faster, and he stared down at their clasped hands. _Be cool, Dan, he’s just holding your hand._

“Is this okay?” Phil asked tentatively.

Dan’s head snapped up to make eye contact. Phil was blushing and looked like he was making a concerted effort not to hide his face.

“Hm? The hands? Yes, that’s fine. It’s - it’s great. Perfect, really.” Dan fumbled, flustered.

 _I said be cool, that is_ not _being cool_.

Phil’s free hand rose up to cover his mouth slightly, trying to hide a giggle, but the crows feet around his eyes gave him away.

“Nooooo, don’t laugh at me!” Dan whined.

“I’m sorry,” Phil said through his laughter. “You’re just too adorable.”

Dan’s cheeks were definitely bright red by now. “Shut up,” he grumbled. He stuck out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. 

“Awwww,” Phil cooed. “You’re really not making me think you’re less adorable, if that was the goal.”

Dan let out an exaggerated huff and walked slightly ahead of Phil - just far enough ahead to keep up his dramatic charade, but close enough that they could still hold hands.

They arrived at the Haunted Mansion line and worked their way to the front. Along the way, Dan and Phil took turns reading out all of the silly tombstones of the dead residents. Every so often, Phil would laugh at one of the funny ways of dying and say, “That’s you.” 

On the ride itself, Dan cozied up to Phil as much as he dare. The seats were much bigger than Big Thunder Railroad and he - unfortunately - didn’t _have_ to squish into Phil’s side in order to fit. He didn’t want to drape himself all over Phil, but he wanted to be as close as was reasonably possible, so he settled for sitting close enough that their sides touched from shoulder to knee.

_Is this too much? Is he uncomfortable? Oh, god, this was a mistake, wasn’t it._

But then Phil’s foot bumped Dan’s, nudging it gently before hooking his ankle around Dan’s.

Dan looked at Phil, happy to know that apparently Phil wanted to be close just as much as Dan, but Phil was steadfastly observing the other side of their cart. Dan rolled his eyes fondly and relaxed into the chair.

Their cart turned a corner, and the ride properly began. 

Some of the spooks startled Phil throughout the ride, and Dan laughed at him for it.

“Really, Phil? How didn’t you expect that to pop up?” Dan would tease, squeezing Phil’s hand briefly.

“Shhhh, I just wasn’t paying enough attention!” Phil would reply, squeezing right back.

About halfway through the ride, the cart spun around and began descending a sharp hill backwards. Gravity squished Dan and Phil to the middle of the seat, right up against each other.

Dan breathed in sharply as their bodies pressed together even more than they already had been, and he quickly looked over at Phil’s face. Phil was already looking at him, blushing heavily.

“Hi,” Phil whispered shyly. He flexed his fingers around Dan’s before squeezing gently.

Equally shyly, Dan squeezed Phil’s hand and whispered, “Hi.”

When the cart straightened out, neither of them made any effort to readjust to sit farther away from the other. Dan felt his heart soar when he realized that meant Phil wanted to be close to him, too.

Not long after, the ride came to an end. Phil let go of Dan’s hand to climb out of the cart, then reached back to offer his hand as a support as Dan followed.

“How gentlemanly,” Dan commented with a slight quirk of his lips. Inside, he was gushing about how sweet Phil was and how much he loved the feeling of the soft skin of Phil’s hand against his own. He worried Phil would let go of his hand as soon as he got off the ride, but Phil only adjusted his grip to interlock their fingers again. He brushed his thumb over Dan’s knuckles, and butterflies erupted in Dan’s stomach.

As they left the Haunted Mansion set, they debated where to go next.

Phil’s vote was the Winnie the Pooh ride.

“Come on, it’s such a cute one! Besides, you said you loved Pooh!” Phil eagerly suggested.

Dan laughed and let Phil pull him across the park to the ride.

 _He wants to make me happy so much. I’m supposed to be making sure we go on rides_ he _likes but he’s over here pushing me to do something for personal nostalgia’s sake. He’s so sweet._

Fortunately, the line wasn’t too long, so they passed through the interactive buttons and animatronics until they made it to the carts. 

They had to drop their hands to climb into the carts, much to Dan’s annoyance, but he relaxed when Phil sat down probably closer than was strictly necessary.

Phil leaned in to whisper in Dan’s ear, “Will you hold my hand if I get scared?”

Dan let out a loud laugh, turning his head to look at Phil.

“It’s just Winnie the Pooh, so I doubt that’ll be a problem.” His hand found Phil’s anyway as the ride began to move, already desperate for the comforting warmth and the accompanying rush of giddy excitement that Dan was beginning to associate with holding Phil’s hand. Dan felt a grin breaking out on his face, playing it off as excitement for Winnie the Pooh. He looked around at the walls, quickly reading the giant storybook page that set up the story for the ride.

Just before they entered the ride, Dan looked back at Phil with a soft smile and quietly admitted, “I like holding your hand, even if you aren’t scared.”

Phil bit his lip around a giddy smile, and Dan’s heart just about melted at the sight.

“Oi, you’ll miss the ride if you keep looking at me,” Phil complained, nudging Dan’s elbow with his own.

“Mmm, but I really like looking at you. Especially when I get you to blush like that,” Dan teased, nudging Phil’s shoulder playfully. He relented, though, deciding to enjoy the ride as Phil insisted.

It wasn’t a particularly thrilling ride, by any means. There were a few jerky turns and wobbles, but no dips or spins, and the pace was fairly slow. They both giggled as the ride bounced up and down, mimicking Tigger’s bouncing.

Dan loved it anyway, partly because of the nostalgia of Winnie the Pooh and partly because of how into it Phil was. He never was _actually_ scared, but he pretended to be when they came to the section of Heffalumps and Woozles, squeezing Dan’s hand harder and bringing his other arm to hug Dan’s. Phil’s head came to rest on Dan’s shoulder, and Dan went perfectly still.

 _Oh my god. He’s so precious. Don’t move, Dan, or he’ll move_.

Luckily, it seemed that Phil had no intention of moving away from Dan for the rest of the ride. He stayed snuggled up to Dan’s arm for the last few minutes of the story, then reluctantly detached himself as their cart came to the end. 

“That was a great idea, Phil. I’m glad you dragged me over here,” Dan said happily as they exited the track area. He couldn’t get the dopey smile off his face.

Phil gasped, ignoring Dan entirely in favor of pointing to the alcove next to the ride and tugging on their still-clasped hands. 

“Look! Tigger and Pooh are there for photos!” He turned to Dan, expression extremely serious. “We have to go get pictures with them.”

Dan was on the verge of saying no. They most likely knew whoever it was in the costumes, so some of the magic was already missing from the experience. Besides, it would _definitely_ be weird if two awkwardly tall adult men got in line to meet _Winnie the Pooh_.

But Phil looked so excited and happy, Dan couldn’t find it in himself to decline. Instead, he sighed in mock exasperation and gestured for Phil to lead the way.

Phil’s face lit up even more, making Dan smile and shake his head fondly. 

_He’s such a dork. I love that he’s so willing to let himself be a kid at Disney. He really makes the magic come to life._

The line to meet Pooh and Tigger was significantly longer than the line for the ride had been, so they occupied their time by sharing anecdotes about their childhood experiences. Phil had several stories about the crazy things he did or believed as a kid, like how he thought the “D” in the Disney logo was actually a “G” or how crowds cheering at football matches scared him to the point of tears.

(Dan, of course, found this very endearing and jokingly promised he would never cheer at a football match in front of Phil.)

In exchange, Dan told Phil a few stories about some of his more embarrassing failures and awkward moments growing up, like how he got fired from his last job for selling an axe to a twelve-year-old. 

Finally, they made it to the front of the line and got to meet Tigger and Pooh. They each got to hug both characters, much to Phil’s delight. Before they took the picture, they also got to “talk” with the animals. Neither character could actually say anything, but Tigger had some _very_ articulate gestures.

He looked at Dan, then pointed back and forth between Dan and Phil, who was having an animated conversation with Pooh and completely unaware of the attention. Dan wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought maybe Tigger had caught on to their affection. Sure enough, Tigger placed both hands over his heart and tilted his head.

Blushing, Dan laughed. “Yeah, we’re here on a date,” he confirmed in a low voice, trying not to attract Phil’s attention away from where he talked with Pooh. It wasn’t that the date was a secret, Dan just felt a little self-conscious that he was talking to one of his childhood idols - and probably coworkers, honestly - about a _date_.

Tigger gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up - or at least the closest thing he could get to a thumbs up in his costume. He took Dan’s hand to guide him to Phil, made them hold hands, then moved to stand on the other side of Phil. Pooh stood next to Dan, and they were ready for pictures.

Dan and Phil both blushed profusely at Tigger’s antics, even though they’d already been holding hands all day. It was just a different experience when someone else noticed their feelings and nudged them together, showing Dan that maybe they _did_ work well together. Plus, Dan realized that he was about to actually take a picture while _holding hands with Phil_ , which would immortalize this perfect moment.

They took a few nice pictures with Pooh and Tigger, then bade them goodbye and left the meeting spot, still hand-in-hand.

“That was amazing! Tigger saw right through us, didn’t he?” Phil chuckled.

“He definitely did,” Dan agreed. He swung their clasped hands around slightly, enjoying the sensation of the contact. Casually, he added, “I wonder if it’s anybody we know today… We’ll _definitely_ be hearing about this at work later.”

“Shhhh!” Phil clapped a hand over Dan’s mouth. “That’s _Tigger_ , not somebody we know!” he scolded, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

Dan rolled his eyes and smiled under Phil’s hand. “Of course, how could I ever forget,” he deadpanned, though it came out warbled and muffled.

Phil narrowed his eyes at Dan suspiciously, then nodded once. “I don’t know what you said, but I’ll take it as an apology. No more ruining the magic, right?”

Dan sighed dramatically, then nodded. 

Letting out a satisfied hum, Phil dropped his hand from Dan’s mouth and looking around at their surroundings. His eyes landed on the gift shop for Winnie the Pooh, and he immediately started pulling Dan towards it. “I just had the best idea!”

“I’m not sure I like where you’re going with this, love, the look on your face screams mischief,” Dan said warily.

_Did I just call him “love”? Oh shit, it is definitely too soon for pet names like that. Shit, that was too much._

But Phil didn’t comment on it. If anything, his smile got wider as he mercilessly tugged Dan along. 

“Shh, trust me! This will be amazing, I promise.” Phil sounded particularly excited about this idea of his. 

When they entered the shop, Phil made straight for the back wall. He let go of Dan’s hand to pick up two Mickey Mouse ear hats, one Tigger and one Pooh.

“I’m buying these and we’ll match for the rest of the day,” Phil declared adamantly, sounding like he’d already made up his mind.

Dan blinked in shock, glancing quickly from Phil to the hats and back again. “Um, what? Phil, those are, like, $30 each. I can’t let you get them for both of us on a date I asked you to, that would be ungentlemanly!” he exclaimed.

Phil giggled. “You think I care about that? You’ve already been such a gentleman so far. You bought lunch and everything! Besides, _I_ want to get them. It was my idea, anyway, it’s only right I pay for them. Plus, you’re forgetting that we get a cast member discount, silly. Come on, please?” Phil stuck out his bottom lip and opened his eyes wider in a puppy pout. 

Dan hesitated, momentarily distracted by how endearing that expression was, before contemplating the issue at hand. He didn’t want to push it too much and make it seem like he thought Phil couldn’t afford the hats or something, but he also didn’t want to make Phil pay for them. 

_Although, he’s right - it was his idea. Surely he wouldn’t have suggested it if he wasn’t willing and expecting to pay for them…_

“Alright, fine,” Dan relented. “You can buy us the hats, but I’m buying dinner.”

“You already paid for lunch, though!” Phil exclaimed with a tone. “It’s really not necessary-”

“But I want to treat you,” Dan mumbled sheepishly, tugging gently on Phil’s hand. He looked up at Phil through his lashes as he continued, “I want you to feel special today, you know? This should all be about you.”

Dan’s free hand reached up and brushed some of Phil’s drooping quiff off his forehead, eventually resting his hand on Phil’s cheek.

Phil nuzzled into Dan’s hand slightly, looking a little conflicted for a moment.

“Oh, alright then, if you insist. You can pay for dinner later. But right now, I’m going to get these hats and make everyone jealous of our relationship,” Phil announced with a flare.

 _Relationship? Does that mean he wants to be boyfriends? Is it too early for that? I mean… I think I want that, but does he? I know we’re still only on the first date, but this feels so_ natural _that it would just make sense to make it official, wouldn’t it?_

Dan decided to tuck the questions away for now, swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat as he followed closely behind Phil to the registers.

Phil quickly paid and picked up the hats from the counter, turning to face Dan.

“Alright, then, let’s see it on you. May I?” Phil asked, gesturing towards Dan’s head with the Pooh hat and smiling.

_My hair is going to hate this…_

Dan leaned forward in answer, presenting his head for Phil. Phil slowly fixed the hat over Dan’s head, placing the chin strap under his chin to secure it in place. He reached up and messed with his hair, carefully pulling out a few strands from under the hat. Usually, Dan wouldn’t let anyone fix his hair for him because he alone knew how to make it look good, but he didn’t complain as Phil fluffed the exposed ends. Somehow, he felt like he could trust Phil to do it right. After a lingering moment, Phil pulled his hands away, and Dan tilted his head back up so Phil could inspect the results.

He inhaled sharply and stared at Dan with an unreadable expression.

“What? Does it look weird?” Dan asked, suddenly nervous. He took out his phone to use the camera as a mirror. 

It actually wasn’t too bad; his hair was definitely more of a mess now, but he actually looked fairly good with the hat.

Dan looked back up to see Phil still staring at him, now with a beaming smile.

Dan blushed at the attention, and Phil cooed.

“I knew this would be a good idea. You look fantastic,” Phil assured Dan, reaching up a hand again and gently brushing his fingers through the visible floof of hair poking out from under the hat. 

“Thank you,” Dan mumbled, feeling the blush continue to burn on his cheeks.

Phil smiled brightly at him, then dropped his hand from Dan’s hair. 

“My turn!” Phil thrust the Tigger hat towards Dan’s hand, then tilted his head down so Dan could put the hat on him.

Dan stretched the elastic over Phil’s chin and pushed the hat back onto Phil’s head. He brushed his fingers through Phil’s quiff to make sure his hair wouldn’t look weird, marvelling at the softness for a moment, then removed his hands.

Phil’s head tilted back up, and he was grinning, and his face was _so close_ to Dan’s that, for a moment, Dan’s brain short-circuited.

“Thank you,” Phil giggled.

The giggle was enough to pull Dan’s brain back together in a flurry of thoughts.

 _Great, my cheeks are going to be permanently pink around Phil, apparently_. _It doesn’t help that he looks unfairly pretty in that Tigger hat with his stupid gorgeous quiff poking out just a little and he looks so excited and happy and wait what did he say again? Was I supposed to respond? Oh yeah -_

“You’re welcome,” Dan awkwardly said a few beats too late.

Phil giggled again, not seeming to care about Dan’s awkwardness, then reached into his pocket for his phone.

“Let’s take a selfie, immortalize the moment,” Phil suggested.

_Oh my god, yes. We are too cute, and I need a picture of Phil looking like this so I can look back on this moment and absolutely melt. He looks so happy._

“I’ll take it, if you want. I’ve mastered the perfect selfie angle with my noodle arms,” Dan joked, stepping closer to Phil.

Dan expected Phil to just stand next to him, but apparently Phil was in the mood to murder Dan because he stood closer than he really had to for the picture and then reached out an arm to wrap it around Dan’s waist.

Dan’s selfie arm faltered briefly at the sensation of Phil’s warm arm on his body. He barely bit back a surprised squeak, since he knew that would make Phil think he was uncomfortable and he’d move his arm. That was the last thing Dan wanted. Phil’s half-embrace felt so strong and comforting and _safe_ , Dan wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to survive when Phil eventually moved.

“Ready?” Dan asked, voice a little shaky.

“Yee!” Phil replied.

Dan snapped a few photos, changing the angle slightly to try to capture the perfect shot. Normally, for a picture like this, he would give a half-smile, or maybe a smirk, but right now? There was no way he could keep the ridiculous grin from his face.

And then Phil turned his head and kissed Dan right on the cheek as Dan snapped a picture. Dan’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock.

 _Did he just - he’s still - oh my god. Oh my_ GOD. _Okay, okay, okay, shhhhh, calm down before he gets weird about it, come on, get it together, Dan._

A flaming red blush spread across Dan’s cheeks and his mouth spread in a face-splitting grin for the last few pictures Dan took. Butterflies zoomed around his stomach like they were trying to escape, and a few seemed to find their way out as giggles. A few of the giggles erupted from Dan’s throat, and he covered his mouth with his hand to prevent any more from escaping

Dan wasn’t sure what to say as Phil pulled away from his cheek. He wasn’t even sure where to _look_. He could still feel Phil’s strong arm around his waist, and it made thinking difficult. His thoughts swirled wildly as he tried to figure out what to do. Should he look at Phil and let him see how Dan was still reeling? Should he run away? Should he act like nothing happened and look at the pictures? And would he ever stop grinning like a madman?

He opted for sending Phil a shy, happy glance, then pretending like nothing had happened (which was a little hard to do around his grin, but he tried to ignore that detail). He cleared his throat and looked at his phone, opening the photos app and scrolling through the selfies he took.

“There’s probably at least one good one in here,” Dan said to distract himself. He looked through the pictures, quickly skimming past the ones where Phil was kissing him to find the first photos.

“Wait - Phil! You’re not even looking at the phone in any of these!” Dan exclaimed, looking over at his date in mock irritation.

Phil was already looking at him with a fond smile. “Of course I’m not looking at the phone. How could I, when you’re here in front of me?” he asked softly. His face was open and honest, and the fond smile twitched until it grew into a full grin.

Dan’s cheeks darkened again. He opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a sort of strangled, “Oh.”

Phil giggled, his tongue poking through his teeth.

 _How does he keep getting more and more adorable, oh my god_. _This man will be the death of me._

Phil’s arm dropped from around Dan’s waist, much to Dan’s disappointment.

“Come on! We’ve got more rides to go on!” Phil reminded him gleefully. 

He quickly re-discovered Dan’s hand (making butterflies zoom around in his stomach again) and began pulling him out of the shop again, already going on about how he wanted to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again.

Dan shook his head fondly, but followed Phil anyway.

A few hours later, they had ridden all Phil’s favorites another time as well as the Winnie the Pooh ride, this time with their Pooh and Tigger ear hats, and they realized they were both starving.

They meandered over to Pinocchio’s Village Haus for a quick dinner (Phil got chicken nuggets, which Dan found endearing as hell), and then headed back out for a few more roller coasters before they had to find a spot for the fireworks.

“Phil, I know you love the roller coasters, but we really have to go pick our place to watch the fireworks!” Dan laughed, tugging Phil’s arm to get him to stay out of the line for the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ ride. “Besides, we’ve already been on this one three times. Haven’t you had enough?”

“You can never have too many pirates, Pooh!” Phil exclaimed excitedly. He tugged right back on Dan’s arm in a desperate attempt to return to the _Pirates_ ride.

Dan rolled his eyes in exasperation. “But the whole point of coming here was to show you the fireworks!” He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and batted his eyes at Phil. “Pwease, Phiw?”

“Awwww, now that’s just cheating,” Phil whined. He pouted in return, but Dan wasn’t having it.

Dan jutted his bottom lip out even further, and Phil cracked.

“Oh, alright then,” Phil sighed. “Lead the way.” 

A smug grin made its way onto Dan’s lips. “That’s what I thought. Follow me, my liege,” Dan said with a mock bow. He took a great deal of joy in the soft giggle he heard Phil make.

When Phil had agreed to the date, Dan had immediately made sure to reserve them a spot in front of Cinderella’s Castle, where the view would be best. They headed to that area now, waiting for an attendant to allow them into the reserved section directly in front of the castle.

Even though it was still light out, there was a long line of people waiting to get into the reserved area, so Dan and Phil took their place at the back and hunkered down to wait.

“So, where do the fireworks come from, again? Like, which way should I be looking?” Phil asked, inspecting the area around them as if he expected a firework to go off any moment.

“There’s a whole song and show and everything that’ll be around the Castle,” Dan told him. 

Phil nodded absentmindedly, still looking around the park. 

Dan took the quiet moment to appreciate the memories of the day. He thought about how excited Phil had been that morning, and how happy Phil had been when he learned that Dan loved Winnie the Pooh, and how insistent Phil was about the Winnie the Pooh-themed hats they were both still wearing. Dan thought about how _good_ and _right_ the whole day had felt, with the never-ending conversation and playful flirting and hand-holding. _God_ , the _handholding_. He couldn’t get enough of the feeling of his hand gently clutched by Phil’s. Sometimes, Phil would run his thumb over Dan’s knuckles, sending all coherent thought flying desperately from his brain and attracting all the blood to his cheeks, making it painfully obvious how much he _adored_ Phil’s actions. 

As they waited for the fireworks, Dan tentatively moved his own thumb over Phil’s hand, wondering if Phil would have a similar reaction to Dan. The blinding smile Phil sent Dan told him that yes, Phil liked that just as much as Dan.

Phil took a small step in so their sides were entirely pressed up against each other, then leaned in to be even closer.

“Thank you,” Phil whispered with a light smile. “Today’s been great.”

Dan beamed. The whole goal of the day had been to make Phil as happy as possible. He was proud to say that he firmly believed he had accomplished that goal, and they hadn’t even seen the fireworks yet.

“But you haven’t seen the fireworks yet. That was supposed to be the great part of the day,” Dan reminded him.

Phil laughed gently, reaching up his free hand to carefully cup Dan’s cheek. Dan’s heartbeat quickened as he subconsciously leaned into the touch.

“Oh, Dan,” Phil sighed happily. “The great part was spending time with you, no matter what we did.”

Phil’s thumb caressed Dan’s cheek, and Dan’s brain shorted out.

_He- I- Great? My face? His hand? My god._

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, all Dan could think to say was a breathy, “Oh.”

Phil’s responding laugh brushed delicately against Dan’s face.

“Speechless, Howell? That’s surprising,” he teased. “I like seeing you all flustered. I’ll have to keep making it happen.” He winked at Dan in his special Phil way, where it’s more of a blink than a wink, then let go of Dan entirely and turned towards the line, which had finally moved forward to allow people into the reserved section.

Dan blinked in surprise. 

_What just happened? I didn’t even notice the line move. What is this boy_ doing _to me?_

He shook himself slightly, quickly catching up to Phil and re-clasping their hands.

_Should I address what just happened? What would I even say? I’m not sure I know what happened, anyway._

Dan chanced a glance at Phil and saw a smirk playing at his lips.

_That’s a dangerous smirk. He looks mischievous - he’s way too pleased with himself. It’s probably best if I just move on, before I make more of a fool of myself._

“Phil!” he began, louder than he expected. He winced internally, begging himself to be less awkward. Clearing his throat, he tried again, lowering his voice to a normal volume this time. “So, are you ready to see the most beautiful, captivating thing you will ever see?”

A full smirk formed on Phil’s face.

“I’ve already seen him. He’s actually somehow letting me hold his hand,” he said teasingly, swinging their hands pointedly.

Dan groaned, looking towards the heavens as if asking for God to come save him from this dork, but he couldn’t disguise his smile, nor his accompanying blush. “Oh, _that_ was cheesy as hell. I walked right into it, too, didn’t I?” He looked back at Phil with a shake of his head.

“You certainly did.” Phil grinned, bumping Dan’s shoulder with his own. “And now you’re all blushy again, how adorable!”

“You’re a menace. A danger to society. Too pure for this world,” Dan deadpanned.

Phil snorted. “One of these things is not like the other.”

In a sing-song voice, Dan replied, “But all of them describe you perfectly.”

Phil bumped Dan’s shoulder again, harder this time. “Your mum’s a description.”

“What?!” Dan shrieked out in a hyena laugh. “That- that doesn’t even make sense!”

“Your mum doesn’t even-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Dan warned teasingly. “Leave my poor mum alone.” To make sure Phil didn’t take him too seriously, Dan squeezed his hand lightly. If his heart raced a little faster when Phil squeezed back, well, no one had to know.

“So, where are we going to watch the fireworks from?” Phil asked.

Dan hummed in thought, looking around the open area for a good spot. “How about right there?” He pointed to a place near the front of the section, but far enough back that they wouldn’t block everyone’s line of sight with their tallness.

“Perfect,” Phil agreed with a content nod. 

Phil followed Dan to their spot. Once they got there, Dan hugged Phil’s arm with his own free arm and rested his head on Phil’s shoulder. 

Dan looked up at Phil from his shoulder. “Is this okay?” Dan asked. He felt Phil nod. 

“It’s perfect,” came Phil’s fond reply. Phil squeezed Dan’s hand once, then brushed his thumb over Dan’s knuckles again. 

If he hadn’t been leaning on Phil already, Dan was sure he would’ve fallen over completely in a swoon. Phil somehow knew exactly what to do to make Dan unbelievably happy, and Dan was living for it.

For a few minutes, they stood in silence, just enjoying each other’s presence and the feeling of their bodies pressed together as they waited for the fireworks. 

The lights around the crowd went out, and Cinderella’s Castle lit up.

“Is it starting?” Phil asked.

Dan resisted the urge to sass Phil, because _honestly, what else could be happening? Disney shut down the park with everyone still in it?_

Instead, he hummed quietly in affirmation and snuggled closer into Phil’s shoulder.

Music began, and the crowd was entranced. Oohs and Ahhs rang out in the plaza with every new animation and special effect. The lights and the music, combined with the magical experience that is spending a day at Disney World, always delivered a spectacular performance.

But Dan wasn’t really paying attention. 

Dan was looking at Phil. Well, some would call it _staring_ , but Dan couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Phil’s expression was so relaxed, so _happy_. Every new piece to the show had him gasping in delight, a childlike wonder in his eyes. Dan couldn’t get enough of it.

And then Phil seemed to notice that Dan wasn’t watching the fireworks. He turned his head slightly, looking at Dan, who was still carefully resting on his shoulder despite the Pooh ears.

Normally, Dan would’ve been embarrassed to be caught staring, but all he could feel was an overwhelming affection for the man who had spent the whole day trying to make sure Dan had a good time, even though Dan was meant to be treating Phil. 

A fond smile grew on Phil’s face as he and Dan got lost in each other’s gaze. 

“Hi,” Phil whispered just loud enough to be heard over the fireworks and music. His free hand moved up and carded through Dan’s exposed fringe slowly, then came to rest on his cheek. His thumb delicately traced Dan’s cheekbone. 

If he could, Dan would have purred at the gentle motion of Phil’s thumb. Instead, he sighed through his nose and leaned into the touch with a smile. He trailed his fingers along Phil’s forearm, appreciating how Phil shivered at the sensation. “Hi.” 

Phil’s eyes quickly flickered over Dan’s face, and his smile grew. “You’re pretty,” he stated simply, as if it were just a fact that the whole world should know.

Dan turned to hide his face in Phil’s shoulder in embarrassment. 

“You can’t just say things like that,” he whined. “They do weird things to me and make me feel all soft.”

Phil’s hand moved from caressing Dan’s face to rest comfortingly on Dan’s waist. “But it’s true! And I love seeing you blush when I tell you so.” Phil wiggled his elbow. “Come on, let me see your pretty face.”

Grumbling false complaints, Dan slowly lifted his head to look Phil in the eye.

“There it is,” Phil whispered adoringly. He shifted his hand up from Dan’s waist to gently cup his face, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb.

Dan felt his blush intensify and looked away for a moment to try to regain his composure. When he finally felt ready to look at Phil again, he found that Phil’s gaze moving slowly over his face, taking in every detail.

It was a whole new feeling. Dan had realized throughout the day that, yes, Phil did actually kind of like him, but the way Phil looked at him now was so much _more_ \- more even than just moments before. This was an intense gaze, which intimidated Dan a little, but mostly he was just overwhelmed with happiness at the brilliant realization that Phil _liked him_. Dan felt wanted in a way that stretched beyond just the physical, and he was overcome with emotion.

His eyes could no longer stay still on Phil’s. They trailed over his features, just as Phil’s were doing to him, and took in the sharp cheekbones, the beaked nose, the freckles and spots, the way his pink lips contrasted his pale skin. And then all he could look at were Phil’s lips. Their soft curve into Phil’s small half-smile, the way they pouted out slightly. They looked soft. Kissable.

_Are they as soft as they look? Would he kiss me if I asked?_

Dan somehow managed to pull his eyes up from Phil’s mouth to see his eyes instead. He wanted to know what Phil was thinking and know if he had any chance.

Phil was still looking at Dan’s face, but it seemed his sights were stuck on Dan’s mouth. Dan felt a shiver course through him when he thought of what Phil might be thinking. His shiver seemed to jolt Phil out of his thoughts, as his eyes snapped up to meet Dan’s.

They stood still. Dan’s thoughts were caught in a constant loop of _kiss me, kiss me, kiss me_ as he tried to work up the courage to ask, but he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to say the words. 

_Come on, just ask! You want to, and he seems like he wants to, and you just have to go for it. Just say it. He won’t say no. But what if he does? What if I’ve been reading the whole situation wrong?_

As Dan’s internal crisis continued, Phil took a small step forward, eliminating the last traces of space between their bodies. Phil’s lips remained ever so slightly apart, like he wasn’t sure he had Dan’s permission.

Emboldened by Phil’s move, Dan made a decision. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered closed, and he leaned in the smallest bit so their lips brushed.

Phil’s hand on Dan’s cheek slid back into his hair, just below the edge of the Pooh hat, and brushed his fingers through the curls. Dan sighed into the kiss, and Phil’s lips moved softly against Dan’s. 

It was a little tentative, and their noses bumped together awkwardly at first, but it felt right. They kept it slow and purposeful, just exploring the feeling of each other. Dan wasn’t sure he’d ever had such a perfect first kiss, and he drowned in the sensation.

They pulled apart not too long after the kiss began. Bashful smiles grew on their faces as their eyes opened, and Dan bit his lip in an attempt to keep from grinning too much. Phil’s tongue poked between his teeth a little, and Dan’s heart melted. 

Phil’s fingers disentangled from Dan’s, and Dan panicked.

_He doesn’t want to hold my hand anymore? What did I do wrong? Did he hate the kiss? But then why did he smile? What no-_

Dan’s thoughts were cut off by the feeling of Phil’s now-free arm wrapping around Dan’s shoulder and pulling him in to cuddle into Phil’s side. Phil’s other hand found Dan’s again, and he clasped them in front of their bodies. 

_Oh._ Dan giggled. _That’s better, then._

He rested his head on Phil’s shoulder, careful to tip his head far enough backwards that he wouldn’t dig his Pooh ears into Phil’s neck.

 _This is the best first date_ ever _._

They had missed most of the fireworks just staring at each other and kissing, but they caught the grand finale. Phil periodically made small noises of wonder and amazement that Dan wished he could bottle up and keep forever.

Too soon, the fireworks ended. Phil turned to Dan with a tired, but happy, smile, which Dan returned.

They made their way back through the crowd and to the parking lot, still hand-in-hand. It was a bit of a long walk, given the number of people trying to leave and the crazy distance from the park to the parking lot, but they were content to walk it in silence. The silence was comfortable, like a warm hug or a soft kiss. Dan wished the moment never had to end.

They eventually made it to Dan’s car. Dan held the door open for Phil and shut it behind him, then went to open his own door and sit down behind the wheel.

Phil let out a deep, happy sigh. “That was really fun.”

“Yeah, I had a really good time,” Dan sighed happily as he started the car. He didn’t move the car yet, though. Instead, he sat back in his seat and looked over at Phil with a small smile.

Phil’s hand crept forward and caught Dan’s over the middle console, squeezing gently. 

“I’m sorry you missed some of the fireworks, though. That was kind of the whole reason we came,” Dan said plainly, like he felt like it had to be said. He wasn’t sorry at all, actually, as what made Phil miss the fireworks was infinitely better than the fireworks themselves. He was also fairly certain Phil wasn’t too bothered by it, but he felt like it had to be said, anyway.

“Hmm, I’m not. But, hey, that gives us something to do next time,” Phil said casually, looking over at Dan, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

It took Dan’s brain a moment to process Phil’s words

“Next time?” he asked hopefully, a wide grin spreading across his face. _Please, this was amazing_.

“Yep. Maybe we’ll go to Epcot to see those fireworks, instead.” Phil smirked. “Or maybe we’ll miss those, too.”

Dan’s heart skipped a bit and red flooded his cheeks.

_Fuck. He wants to kiss me more? He wants to do this again. Oh my god._

Laughter outside the car jolted Dan out of his thoughts. A family walked past, and Dan watched them find their car. 

“Well,” he began. “I guess we’d better start driving home.” 

He put the car in gear and moved them towards the line of cars trying to leave the park. Phil started talking about his favorite funny moments of the day, and Dan chimed in with a few Phil missed. Phil also insisted that Dan tell him he was right about the Pooh hats. 

“They were the most important thing. They completed the whole picture. You’re the one always going on and on about aesthetics! There’s no way you think they weren’t the best idea ever,” Phil argued playfully. He had a smug grin on his face and he poked Dan’s arm a few times to drive his point home.

 _God, he’s cute. He_ so _wants me to agree with him, but I can’t give up that easily_ , Dan thought mischievously. A smirk formed on his face as he started to rile Phil up about it.

“Well…” he drawled. “Winnie the Pooh doesn’t fit my aesthetic, especially not right now. Yellow ears with this pink and blue shirt? Major clashing goin’ on here. I definitely look ridiculous.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Phil’s jaw drop in mock outrage. Dan’s smirk grew as his plan succeeded.

“Winnie the Pooh fits _everyone’s_ aesthetic! There’s never a wrong time to wear Pooh ears, and looking ridiculous is the best part of it! Plus, we looked so cute together that it had to have been worth it,” Phil declared indignantly.

“Hmmmm…” Dan hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose we were a little cute, maybe.”

Phil squawked. “A _little_? Only a _little_? I’ll have you know we were _definitely_ the cutest people anyone saw at the Magic Kingdom _all day_ ,” he insisted. “Everyone was jealous of us.” He crossed his arms with a huff, shooting Dan a sour glare. “It was the _best_ idea.”

Dan finally couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, letting it out in a loud burst absolutely _drenched_ in fondness. He reached a hand out and pried Phil’s arms apart so he could hold Phil’s hand.

“I’m just messing with you, Phil! I loved the hats and the cute couple aesthetic and how jealous we made everyone else. They _were_ the best idea.” He chanced a glance over at Phil, who had finally relaxed back into his seat after tensely arguing his points. Dan sent him an affectionate smile. “Thank you. They made my day. Well,” he added after a beat, “maybe not _quite_. The fireworks would be hard to beat.”

Phil blushed heavily, biting his lip to hide a grin. “Good. Great. The hats and the… _fireworks_.”

Dan pulled their clasped hands to his face and pressed a delicate kiss to the back of Phil’s hand, delighting in the quiet giggle it tugged from Phil, then let go of Phil’s hand to put his hand back on the steering wheel.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, they moved on to talking about their jobs and why they worked at Disney, describing the incomparable feeling of bringing the magical joy to everyone who visited. Somehow, these conversations led them all the way back to Phil’s house. Dan wasn’t sure where the time went, but he wished it would come back.

He pulled over in front of Phil’s house and put the car in park, resting his hand on the middle console.

_I really don’t want this to end._

Apparently Phil didn’t want it to end either, as he made no move to get up. He just sat, staring at his house for a moment, then he turned to Dan.

“I really did have a great time,” he said quietly, reaching out to play with Dan’s fingers.

Dan smiled softly, meeting Phil’s gaze. “Me too,” he whispered fondly. He moved his hand slightly so it was holding Phil’s, and he squeezed gently.

“Thanks for treating me. It was sweet of you.”

Dan’s cheeks flushed, and he looked down. “You deserve to feel special,” he mumbled.

Soft fingers brushed against Dan’s jaw, carefully raising his face so he would look at Phil.

_Phil’s so beautiful. How did I even get here?_

“So do you,” Phil whispered. “So, if it’s okay with you, _I’ll_ take _you_ out next time.”

Dan nodded slowly. He was completely speechless with happiness. Phil had just confirmed that this would happen again, and Dan was thrilled and just a bit overwhelmed, especially with how Phil’s hand caressed his cheek and how close Phil’s face was to his. 

And then Phil’s face came even closer, and Dan’s eyes closed as their lips touched.

It was a soft and sweet kiss, shorter than the ones earlier that night, and it left Dan wanting more as Phil pulled away.

“Goodnight,” Phil whispered, his breath fanning across Dan’s face. 

“Goodnight,” Dan replied softly, his eyes locked on Phil’s. He wished the night didn’t have to end, that he could spend more time with Phil, but he didn’t push it. Maybe a different night, but not right now. The rest of their day had already been perfect, anyway.

Phil smiled, then turned and got out of the car, quickly walking up the walkway to his house.

Dan stared after him in a daze, reaching up and touching his lips with his fingers. He let out a lovestruck sigh, then smiled wide as he started to drive back home.

A memory came to him as he drove, and he smiled, then laughed.

He definitely didn’t need to worry about some six-year-old coming and stealing his Phil away.

**Author's Note:**

> I made a Tumblr post with a picture of the inspiration for Dan's outfit, which you can find [here](https://whiskersandquiff.tumblr.com/post/176091651092/in-my-most-recent-fic-dan-wears-an-outfit-that-is)
> 
> I also post to my Tumblr! See the rest of my fics [here](https://whiskersandquiff.tumblr.com/fics-masterlist)


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